Out Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg wasn’t having it with Rep. Lauren Boebert’s (R-CO) attempt to take credit for funding her district received despite her opposition to it.
Boebert posted a message to X that included a picture of her with Glenwood Springs City Councilor Jonathan Godes and celebrating an over $50 million federal grant for a bridge. Glenwood Springs is in Boebert’s current congressional district, Colorado’s Third.
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“We have secured over $51.4 million for the South Bridge,” she bragged. “Was thrilled to hear about nearly $30 million in costs savings in addition and that my support has helped make this project a reality.”
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The funding she was referring to came from a Biden administration program called the Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program, which is funded through the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which Boebert vehemently opposed and voted against. She called the bill a “Solyndra style slush fund” (referring to an Obama-era program that rightwingers attacked), decried it as “wasteful” and “garbage,” and accused the bill of supporting “government welfare.” She called for holding “fake Republicans” who voted for the bill “accountable.”
The Biden administration has still been funding projects in districts of members of Congress who voted against the bill, but Buttigieg wasn’t about to let Boebert get away with taking credit for funding that she tried to stop just three years ago.
“Congresswoman, in what way do you believe that your support helped this project?” he asked. “We chose it because it’s a good project, and funded it using President Biden’s infrastructure package, which you voted against.”
Boebert has attacked Buttigieg quite a few times in the past. Boebert proudly proclaimed that she gave birth in a truck in order to insult Buttigieg for taking “maternity leave” to “figure out how to chest feed” his children. She called Buttigieg a diversity hire because he’s gay. She even mocked him when he visited a disaster site because he wore protective clothing.
That didn’t stop her from begging Buttigieg for funding from the infrastructure bill. Buttigieg and the Biden administration made it clear that they wouldn’t refuse grant requests just because they came from the districts of members of Congress who voted against the bill.
“It’s hard not to chuckle,” Buttigieg said in a 2022 interview when asked about receiving the letters from Republicans who fervently denounced the spending bill. “Obviously, it’s good for their districts, which is why it’s probably good for America.”
“We’re not going to be trying to be jerks about it,” he continued. “We’re also not going to be shy about folks knowing who was with us and who was against us.”
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